For years, the term “draft and stash” in the NBA described the concept of simply selecting a European prospect in the Draft to one day have him realize his true basketball potential in the League.

Today, the concept of teams developing talent overseas is still as prominent as ever, but many are starting to utilize the tactic in a different light. Teams have been drafting American-born players in the second round and mutually agreeing for the player to play overseas for his first professional season.

The practice stems from two principles. First, an NBA team usually selects a player in the second round who they foresee developing a specific elite skill—usually rebounding, defense or rim protection. Secondly, teams aren’t too interested in paying a 20-something-year-old NBA money to improve his skills while ironing out the rest of his game in the D-League.

The financial aspects make sense. Why should an NBA team pay an unproven player the league minimum—this year it’s $490,180—to play in the D-League with teammates who make around $25,000 on the season? If you’re a rookie, why should you be entrapped by the NBA team that owns your Draft rights if you can command lucrative contracts overseas and face tougher competition as well?

European contracts are almost always entirely guaranteed and commonly include enticing stipends and luxuries such as TV packages, lavish condos, cars and meal plans. And while these young players have to overcome obstacles like having to watch Breaking Bad over Slingbox and communicating with their families via Skype, their living situations are very ideal.

This season, seven second-round picks have already signed contracts with teams in overseas leagues, many of which have already begun competing. Pierre Jackson, selected by the 76ers at No. 42 and then traded to the Pelicans with Jrue Holiday, will be suiting up for ASVEL Villeurbanne in France this season. The Hawks took Mike Muscala at No. 44, but he’ll be playing with Blusens Monbus Obradoiro in Spain. Erick Green, taken by the Denver Nuggets at No. 46, is heading to Siena of the Italian League. James Ennis, who the Heat snagged at No. 50, is playing in Australia with the Perth Wildcats. The No. 53 pick, Colton Iverson, is deferring his career with the Boston Celtics to crash the boards in Turkey with Besiktas. The Phoenix Suns have the No. 57 pick, Alex Oriakhi, spending the season in France with Limoges CSP Elite and the Spurs’ pick at No. 58, DeShaun Thomas, will be in France as well.

Additionally, Grant Jerrett, Ryan Kelly, Romero Osby, Lorenzo Brown and Arsalan Kazemi are all currently unsigned second-round picks and considered free agents in the international market, with each of their respective NBA clubs alluding to the possibility of the players heading overseas.

While nearly half of the second round of the 2013 NBA Draft is slated to play abroad this winter, many NBA executives feel the practice is not a growing trend and this year is simply an outlier.

“I think it’s just a situational thing,” Suns assistant GM Pat Connelly says. “I wouldn’t say there’s a massive trend going, even though it’s been more common over the last few years. It’s just another option—that’s always been there—you have with a pick to kind of get some extra development time if you feel like they need it.”

“But is this going to change where every single second-round pick is going overseas over the next few years? No, not at all.”

The Suns jumped on the option with Oriakhi, an undersized big man from Connecticut who has the potential to develop into a niche rebounder for Phoenix down the road. Yet with Marcin Gortat, Channing Frye, Alex Len, Marcus and Markieff Morris, Miles Plumlee and Hammed Haddadi already filling up the team’s frontcourt, there won’t be much room for the former Husky to get enough playing time to truly improve this season in the NBA.

“Going overseas gives him the chance to go over there and develop other skills while sharpening up the ones that we really liked about him,” Connelly says. “Alex is very active and very physical, so he’ll have a chance to go over there, adjust to a different style of play and maybe he’ll be able to fine tune some of the other elements of the game. So we’re excited about watching him develop this year.”

On the surface, one would think the Suns would prefer to keep tabs on Oriakhi while playing with their shared D-League affiliate, the Bakersfield Jam. But as Connelly points out, the globalization of the sport has rendered communication with players and keeping track of their progress nearly as easy and accessible.

“If I want to see how Alex is doing, all I have to do is log on to the internet and I can basically find out everything he is doing from videos to stats to game reports and anything really,” Connelly explains. “Obviously we’re still keeping up with him, we emailed him the other day and then we’ll go over and see him and keep up with him just like anybody else would. It wasn’t something that we went into knowing we were going to do, but it was something where the situation came and we thought it was a good idea for both parties to explore.”

The Celtics will be in close contact with Iverson as well, specifically director of player personnel Austin Ainge.

“We’ll absolutely be in close contact with him, his agents and his coaches,” Ainge says. “We’ll watch every single one of his game films. His improvement is something we’ll keep a close eye on.”

Boston’s interest in Iverson’s development became evident on draft night when the Celtics sent cash to the Pacers in order to acquire the former Colorado State center at No. 53.

“They invested a lot of money to specifically draft Colton—most people would be a little bit surprised by how much they spent to get him,” Iverson’s agent, Adam Pensack said. “I think that’s really an important piece of the puzzle. They were the first team that got on the phone and said they really wanted to work him out. Ultimately, he’s going to take an indirect path to play for them, but the plan is to have him as a part of the Boston Celtics next year.”

Ainge expressed the Celtic’s infatuation with the big man. Iverson, a 7-0, 263-pound native on Yankton, SD, has the consistent motor and rebounding tenacity Boston could really use to compliment the finesse of their young frontcourt that features Kelly Olynyk, Jeff Green and Jared Sullinger.

Iverson averaged 14.2 points and 9.8 rebounds per game in his senior season with the Rams in ’12-13. He recently scored 27 points vs the aforementioned Jackson and ASVEL.

“When you draft someone, you draft them to be on your team,” Ainge says. “With Colton, we think he has the capability to be an elite rebounder in this League. Unfortunately we just didn’t have the roster flexibility to make that work this season.”

The Celtics’ offseason was mainly dedicated to trimming their roster following the blockbuster deal that sent Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry to Brooklyn. The deal sent more players to the TD Garden than Boston traded, plus the team agreed to terms with Brazil’s Vitor Faverani in July. As a result, the Celtics waived Kris Joseph, Shavlik Randolph and Donte Greene. Boston swapped Fab Melo to Memphis for Greene in mid-August.

Nonetheless, Iverson is relishing his opportunity to compete overseas and is excited about his future with Boston—a future that both Ainge and Pensack say likely will have Iverson on the Celtics’ roster for the ’14-15 season.

“It was a great feeling after I got drafted and I got in contact with Danny and Austin Ainge,” Iverson says. “It was just the best feeling knowing that they went out of their way to draft me. I know it didn’t work out this year, but hopefully it does next year. I’m just really excited that I get a chance to put in hard work for the Celtics.”

Moving to Europe isn’t much of a challenge for Iverson. The physical big has lived in three states since he graduated high school in 2008 and left his home state of South Dakota. Iverson began his college career at Minnesota under Tubby Smith but then transferred to Colorado State in search of more playing time. With that, Iverson will be more challenged by adjusting to a different style of play and feeling out the Turkish League officials.

“They just call fouls differently and I’ll have to adjust to that right away,” Iverson, who struggled with foul trouble in college, says. “I think I’m picking up on it already. It’s a more physical game, but they call a lot of ticky-tack fouls. It’s all about using your body to get positioning instead of your hands.”

Once he gets adjusted to the foreign officiating, the door will open for Iverson to work on the elements of his game Boston wants him to fine-tune in live ball action. Ainge and Brad Stevens have been in constant contact with Iverson, expressing the importance of improving his pick-and-roll defense, post defense, footwork and extending his jumper out to 15 feet, which in turn will also make him more effective from the foul line.

All the while, the Celtics want Iverson to continue being the ruthless rebounder and hustler that he’s always been.

“Brad Stevens really feels that if Colton can bring 110 percent energy every single night, that’s where he’ll carve himself a niche within the Celtics,” Pensack says.

For some players, however, the move overseas is strictly for financial reasons more than the opportunity to develop against steeper competition than the D-League.

The Heat wanted James Ennis to forgo the team’s training camp and spend the season with their individual D-League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. Ennis could have worked closely with Miami’s coaches, but he wasn’t interested in the notoriously low D-League salary and the Heat weren’t interested in paying him the league minimum.

The Long Beach State grad’s family has been dealing with financial hardships for years. His mother, Denise, is disabled and can’t work and his father, James Sr, works for a painting company. Ennis’ deal with the Perth Wildcats in Australia is worth “six figures,” according to his agent Scott Nichols. That money will go a long way for Ennis, his parents and his five siblings.

“It’s a better opportunity at this point in my life to provide for my family because we’ve been struggling for so long,” Ennis explained via email. “It was a difficult process because going overseas was my last resort. It came down to the last minute deciding between different teams. Scott and I made the decision that we felt was best for my career. At this point in time, I’m looking at the bigger picture.”

With that being said, playing a year overseas will undoubtedly provide Ennis with valuable time to prepare himself for the rigors of the NBA.

His length, athleticism and shooting ability—Ennis shot 35.7 percent from deep in ’12-13—gives the Ventura, CA, native potential to become a useful “3-and-D” wing player for the Heat off the bench, a role that is clearly valued in Erik Spoelstra’s system surrounding LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. In a competitive league in Australia, although he won’t see as grueling competition as he would have in Europe, Ennis will have the chance to refine those skills.

The Heat will be in close contact with the Wildcats throughout the season too, collaborating to help Ennis improve throughout his time in Australia. Miami would like Ennis to improve his ball handling in addition to focusing on his already stifling defense. The two teams have had a very smooth relationship thus far. The Wildcats have even provided an out-clause in Ennis’ contract that would allow the Heat to bring him back stateside at any point in the season and Ennis would still earn his entire Australian salary. Although, it’s likely he won’t join the Heat until ‘14-15.

“I’ll just put it in God’s hands and if they call me up this year, it’s a blessing,” Ennis said. “Last season they pulled up Jarvis [Varnado] right before the playoffs so I believe there is a good possibility that could happen again this season.”

Overall, while executives like Connelly and Ainge argue that the drafting and stashing of American-born players isn’t a growing trend, it’s likely becoming more attractive for both teams and players because of the type of youngster that organizations are more inclined to draft today. Teams are valuing currently immeasurable attributes like motor, hustle and energy far more today than they ever have. In turn, these hard-working, and often defense-first, players come with the attitude and mindset that going overseas requires.

One of such players, Notre Dame grad Jack Cooley, went undrafted in June, but turned down training camp invites from over 10 NBA teams and several partially guaranteed contracts.

Adam Pensack also represents Cooley and says the bruiser was offered contracts from the Blazers, Grizzlies, Spurs, Thunder, Nets, Heat, Lakers, Rockets, Pacers and Cavs. Many of the contracts were non-guaranteed, but Cooley also received multiple partial guarantees. However, Cooley elected to take a deal from Trabzonspor of Turkey that Pensack described as “unusually lucrative.” It also has him living in a three-story, four-bedroom and two-bathroom townhouse all to himself.

And while realizing his NBA dream was in his grasps, Cooley has hit the ground running in Europe and has brought an optimistic mindset to his team in Turkey.

“The main goal, the way I’ve always played, is to help my team win,” Cooley says. “With that happening, usually my stats are pretty good and everything seems to work out for the best. In terms of the fundamentals of my game, I’d like to include the shooting aspect that I showed off a little more in the Summer League over an entire season and show people just how successful I can be from the outside over an entire year. I think I’ll have a real opportunity to add that aspect to my game over here.”

While Cooley is a tireless rebounder, what initially landed him in conversations among NBA executives and scouts, his vastly improved shooting range is the skill that could make him a very in demand and rich NBA player in ’14-15.

With the Grizzlies in Las Vegas, Cooley shot 23.1 percent from three during Summer League after only attempting a single shot from beyond the arc during his four-year career with the Irish. He also joined Kevin McHale and the Rockets in Orlando. One NBA executive said Cooley’s target from downtown should be 36 percent, a milestone that’s definitely reachable through diligent work in Turkey.

“There are already three or four NBA teams that have committed to go out and watch him in person this season and there will very likely be more,” Pensack says.

It’s safe to say that Cooley is very much still on the NBA’s radar and with extended range, the 6-9, 244-pound forward could be playing valuable minutes for a contender next year.

Now that the ’13-14 NBA season is just weeks away, commissioner David Stern is set to take off on his farewell tour across the League. When Stern retires at the conclusion of the campaign and hand’s the keys over to Adam Silver, he’ll likely look back on globalizing the NBA game as one of his biggest and most important accomplishments.

In today’s NBA, the world is essentially flat in terms of player development and international scouting. When Stern assumed office back in 1984, he probably never dreamed of an age where 12 second-round picks play their first year of professional basketball overseas after going to college in America. And whether or not the trend is definitively changing for the future, it’s certainly adding momentum to the movement of player development and calculated risk-taking in the NBA front offices.

“There are always going to be dozens of pro leagues and there are a million different ways to do things and this is just one approach,” Connelly says. “It will be interesting to see how it works out. There’s a certainly a talented crew going over this year, for sure.”

It was winter of 2008. Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey settled into his seat in the gymnasium at Glenbrook South High School in Glenview, IL. With an assistant by his side, the longtime Irish head coach was instantly enamored by GBS’ stocky, 6-8 senior forward who was gobbling up every rebound in sight. The senior, a young Jack Cooley, showed off his impressive stroke too, knocking down 13 of his 14 free-throw attempts.

Brey didn’t need to see anymore. He told his assistant to go over to the snack bar at halftime and tell the man behind the counter that his son was officially being offered a scholarship to play college basketball in South Bend. With Cooley’s instincts to play physical in the post, the Big East seemed like a perfect fit.

He also had a year to learn from watching and practicing against Luke Harangody.

“It was great to see his hustle and his intensity, it was really valuable to watch such a great player play, even though we are somewhat different players,” said Cooley, now a 6-9, 244-pound 2013 NBA Draft prospect. “Guarding him in practice every day helped quite a bit because of how quick he was and just the offensive repertoire that he has. He taught me a lot of hints for how to handle pressure in terms of games and stuff like that. It was just good to watch him as a top Big East player and see how it works.”

Brey enjoyed watching the two big men—who could pass as twins—battle in practice, but eventually needed to end what had started as a learning experience.

“Quite frankly, by the end of the season, I tried to keep Jack away from Luke because he would have to deal with guys in the Big East two to three games a week,” Brey said with a laugh. “So, I didn’t want him to have to deal with Cooley in practice because he’s so strong and so physical. Jack was just being a young guy and trying to get better. He would beat up on Luke. I would tell the assistants, Don’t let Jack guard Luke today.”

But, Cooley was overpowered by Harangody’s shadow outside of the Irish’s practice facility. The youngster from the Chicago suburbs only played 5.3 minutes per game during his freshman season in ’09-10.

His minutes barely rose to 10.3 minutes per game in his sophomore season, as Brey and his staff grew worried that Cooley would never be in good enough condition to play 20 minutes per game, despite his ability to rebound and fight in the paint. Brey remembers wondering if Cooley was going to make it out of the team’s conditioning drills without collapsing and puking. But, something changed between his sophomore and junior season.

“He was more interested in video games than basketball earlier in his career,” Brey said. “He liked the game, but he didn’t love the game. Where I saw the big jump was when he knew we would have to rely on him to be a starter. The game became important to him every day.”

Cooley agrees.

“I think more opportunity was really the reason. When it came to my junior year, I was getting a lot more minutes and my role changed a little bit,” Cooley said of his changed mindset. “I just stepped into the role my team needed me to in order to win, and I was able to take advantage of that opportunity I was given.”

Brey says that a strict diet and hard work on conditioning helped Cooley get in shape for his opportunity in his junior year, ’11-12. After playing just over 10 minutes per game the previous season, Cooley’s minutes jumped to 28.7 per night as he started 32 of Notre Dame’s 34 games. With more playing time, Cooley was also able to score 12.5 points, grab 8.9 rebounds and block 1.6 shots per game.

The rest of the conference took notice, and Cooley was named the Big East’s Most Improved Player and selected to the Second-Team All-Big East after leading the Irish to a 7-seed in the NCAA Tournament.

“It felt really good to know that it was recognized throughout the league how much I had accomplished from the year before ’til the end of that year,” Cooley remembers. “I always play for my team to win, but to get that personal recognition really felt great.”

His collegiate success continued during his senior campaign in ’12-13, putting up nightly averages of 13.1 points, 10.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks, compiling 20 double-doubles on the season. His season was deemed worthy of the First-Team All-Big East and granted him an invitation to the annual Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, an event that features 64 college basketball seniors playing for four days in front of NBA scouts.

At the PIT, Cooley averaged 13 points and 14 rebounds per game en route to a spot on the All-Tournament team. Scouts took notice.

“It was another opportunity to go out there and play against pretty good competition. Any chance I get to play I get really excited for,” Cooley said. “I just went out there and rebounded the ball pretty well. I tried to show teams that I can play at any level and be successful. I think Portsmouth helped show that off a little bit.”

But, many know Cooley can rebound. Some scouts have even referred to him as the best rebounder in this Draft class. Now that he’s worked his way onto the NBA’s radar, he needs to show he can also shoot in order to get drafted by a team in the second round.

At Notre Dame, he took 25 jumpers in his senior season. He drilled 11 of those attempts, but that’s a very small sample size. So far, in workouts with two NBA teams, he shot 68 percent from from the NBA three in the first and 48 percent in the second.

“I’ve been working on my shot every single day in the gym, since the season ended, and putting up hundreds of shots,” Cooley said. I’ve been extending my range out a bit. I wasn’t really able to show during college that I can extend my range out. But, now, I’ve been able to work on my game so it’s become more apparent that I can shoot from long range without much of a difficulty. I can make pick-and-pops, or 17- to 18-footers or the occasional three. I’ve gotten a lot better shooting those longer shots.”

His foot speed is also something Cooley thinks he needs to improve on to be effective at the next level. He feels faster feet will help him hedge better on screens and rotate quicker defensively. Along with putting up hundreds of jumpers, Cooley says he’s rigorously jumping rope and going through other speed drills.

“It’s extremely labor-intensive. I’m literally working on it every single day,” Cooley said. “I’m making my workouts a lot harder by doing it but I know it’ll be better for my game in the long run. I’m jumping rope, doing agility ladders, doing lateral slides with bands around my ankles and just a whole bunch of things. I’m getting quicker, better, faster, stronger and I’m going to be ready.”

What Cooley will be ready to do best is bring an intense and blue-collar spirit into an NBA practice. He’s the kind of player who craves the opportunity to battle with another big down low. He’s got the ballsy courage to propose to his girlfriend on stage at Notre Dame’s basketball banquet. He’s a guy Mike Brey wishes was still on campus.

“We’ll really miss him,” Brey said. “There was an energy and an enthusiasm about him that was infections within our team and our home crowd.”

As of now, Cooley is fighting to make as good of an impression he can to be picked on June 27. Perhaps, after hanging up with a GM, he can tell his father the good news about the next step in his basketball career.

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/nba/portsmouth-invitational-nba-draft-stock-watch/feed/0SLAMonlineWhile the NCAA Tournament is the college event that can really boost NBA prospects’ draft stock, some players significantly improve their value in the annual Portsmouth Invitational. The PIT has been running every year since 1953 and NBA superstars like John Stockton, Dennis Rodman, Tim Hardaway and Scottie Pippen all played in the event before they entered the Draft. While the majority of the PIT players historically don’t have great chances of receiving true attention from NBA reps, the following five players (listed in alphabetical order) improved their stock the most this weekend.—Jake Fischer / @JakeLFischer

In four seasons with Notre Dame, forward Jack Cooley has grown into a rebounding force. Though his numbers in high school should have hinted at the extent of his current dominance, Cooley was quiet in his first few seasons with the Irish. He bided his time, studying under the tutelage of big men like Luke Harangody. Then, in his junior season, he emerged.

At Glenbrook South High in Glenview, IL, Cooley was a three-year starter. He missed the latter half of his senior season due to a thumb injury, but before he went down, Cooley was averaging 20.5 points, 13.5 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game. He was nominated for the McDonald’s All-American team, and was recruited by a number of DI schools, eventually opting to attend Notre Dame.

After averaging merely 2.4 points and 2.5 rebounds in his first two seasons, Cooley stepped up in his junior year, leading the team in both points (12.5) and boards (8.9) per game. He tallied consecutive double-doubles in one prolific four-game stretch, including a 22-point, 18-rebound outing against Rutgers. His breakout campaign ultimately earned him the Big East Most Improved Player of the Year award and a nomination to the All-Big East Second-Team.

This season, teams went back to the drawing board to try and figure out ways to stop Cooley on the boards, but little has worked. Instead of slowing him down, he’s averaging career-highs in points (13.1), rebounds (10.3) and minutes (29.6).

In a recent interview with SLAMonline, Cooley talked about his favorite memories in South Bend, the complexity of rebounding, and what’s next for him after college basketball.

SLAM: So let’s start at the beginning. How’d you end up playing for Notre Dame?

JC: In the endit came down to three schools: Notre Dame, Illinois and Wisconsin. What my AAU program made me do was sit down and make a plus and minuses chart for each of the three schools to help me decide on one. At the time when you’re deciding on which college to go to it’s like the biggest decision of your life. So they had me treat it like a business so I could make the best decision. And when it came down to it, Notre Dame was the only one that didn’t have any marks on the negative side of the chart.

SLAM: When you got to South Bend, what were your expectations as far as playing time and your role on the team?

JC: My freshman year, I knew I wasn’t going to play very much. Luke Harangody was there, that was his senior year, and I knew I wasn’t going to get much playing time, which I was fine with. I was fine playing behind him and learning from him, one of the best players in Notre Dame history. I realized that my first couple years would be a learning experience.

SLAM: You really showed out in your junior season, starting almost every game for the Irish and putting up career numbers. What changed between your sophomore and junior year?

JC: I lost a lot of weight, about 30 pounds. So I could play more minutes. And I just realized that at Notre Dame the seniors and upperclassmen play a lot. So when you move up in the program, it’s your time to step up and start playing or you’re going to let your teammates down. And I realized in my junior year that if I didn’t step up, then we weren’t going to have a good season. From that point on, my play increased a lot and it’s worked out pretty well.

SLAM: What sorts of skills did you work on during the offseason?

JC: I have a personal trainer back home that I worked out with everyday. We worked on my foot speed and post moves a lot. He’d also give me some tips about rebounding, but mainly I worked on foot speed and offensive moves. I took a lot of steps forward that summer and it really showed during the year.

SLAM: So at this point, how do you see yourself as a player? What are some of your strengths and weaknesses?

JC: I mean it’s changed so much. Now, my main strength is rebounding and the fact that I’ve developed a scoring strength to go along with that has been phenomenal to see. Just being able to score as well as I can, it’s just been a dramatic change. There are a couple weaknesses and things I can improve upon, but I’m just trying to get better every day. But I’m almost in disbelief of how far I’ve come since my freshman year.

SLAM: What’s your favorite part about the game of basketball?

JC: On the court, there’s really no time in my life that I’m happier, whether it’s games or practices. Nothing’s wrong. There’s no outside problems, no homework, no drama, no stress, there’s nothing. Just basketball. That’s what I love so much. It’s just a relief from everything. I’ve never played basketball and not had fun.

SLAM: Your rebounding skills obviously aren’t a secret any longer. So can you walk me through your thought process when a shot goes up, and sort of explain what goes into rebounding?

JC: There’s a lot that goes into the art of rebounding. Hustle and intensity is a huge part of it, and luck is a big part of it too. But there’s a lot that goes through my mind when a shot goes up that I’ve learned from playing. On the offensive end, I look to see who’s shooting to see what type of shot they’re putting up, and what kind of arc it’ll have. What time of the game it is, so you can see if the shot’s going to go long or short, depending on if the player’s tired or not. Also, how well they were defended because if the ball got tipped I could get to it faster. And how it ends up coming off the rim. There are a lot of things that have to get processed really quickly.

SLAM: What kinds of measures are other teams taking to negate your ability to crash the boards?

JC: Last year was the first time they started doing this and they’ve done it almost every game since. They double-team rebound me. I’ve never had it happen until last year at Georgetown. And I was in shock because when you beat one guy, it’s an accomplishment, and then when you have another guy to get through, you’re almost guaranteed to be out of the play. But now that it happens a lot more, I’ve gotten used to it. Sometimes I use the other players to their own disadvantage, using them against each other and getting them in each other’s way. And it is getting a little bit more difficult, but if it wasn’t a challenge, it wouldn’t be so much fun.

SLAM: Does anyone take any cheap shots, especially knowing what kind of rebounder you are?

JC: Yeah, some teams. Coach always warns me that teams are going to throw lots of substitutes in to try and get me tired and frustrated, but I enjoy physicality. That’s how I play. So it doesn’t always work as well as teams want it to.And sometimes it actually gets you mad and makes you play better.

SLAM: Defense and rebounding are some of the toughest things to practice on your own. How do you go about working on your craft in team practices and how do your teammates feel about getting knocked around?

JC: At first, they really disliked it. But now they’re used to it, and it kind of rubs off on them and they hit back. And like you said, it’s really hard to practice those skills on your own, so you need to make sure during practice time you focus on it during the few chances you get. Coach Brey does a great job of making sure we have ample time to scrimmage, so when the game comes around, we’re all prepared to play.

When your team is a perpetual underdog and they finally get the opportunity to finish off a top-ranked opponent, wouldn’t you want to celebrate mid-court with your friends and favorite players?

The question of whether college basketball fans should rush the court after a big win is as old as the tradition itself. While it’s always been part of college basketball and undoubtedly adds to the drama of the event, it can put the teams in potential danger with rowdy fans.

As the Virginia Cavaliers pulled out the win over then No. 1 Duke in Charlotesville, the fans went on the floor and got too close for comfort for Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski. As per the News & Observer:

“Look, celebrate, have fun, obviously you won, that’s cool. Just get our team off the court before students come on… The potential is there all the time for a fan to just go up to you and say, ‘Coach you’re a,’ or push you or hit you,” said Coach K. “And what do you do? What if you did something? That would be the story. We deserve that type of protection.”

Coach K has his own opinion, and some analysts have developed a detailed storming-the-court etiquette, but what do the players think about one of the most unique traditions in sports?

From No. 6-ranked Michigan, 6-6 guard Tim Hardaway Jr has been involved in many occasions where the Wolverines fell to lower-ranked teams or to rivals and the fans have swarmed the court. He echoes analysts’ call for some kind of decorum, “My thing is, if you’re a top-5 team and the opponent you’re playing against isn’t ranked, no need to rush the court.”

Though Hardaway insists there needs to be limits, he’s not willing to give the tradition up completely.

“There’s no stopping it. That’s what college basketball is all about. A lot of people that play in college sports dream about beating the top ranked team, and having their fans rush the court,” said Hardaway. “It gets the fans involved.”

From South Bend, Notre Dame forward Jack Cooley has also had the chance to partake in the craziness that comes with fans running around the very floor many players consider to be their sanctuary. Cooley, who stands at 6-9 while weighing in at 249 pounds, has never felt in danger during a melee, as he towers over most fans: “I’m a pretty big dude. I don’t think they’re going to knock me around.”

Cooley’s in line with what seems to be popular opinion and believes that fans should have the right to storm the court. He explained that since they’re often loyal supporters of their team throughout the season, they deserve the chance to enjoy the moment with the players who create it for them.

“These fans come out supporting the team every game, they’re cheering for you,” said Cooley. “If they want to storm the court, let them. No one’s really getting hurt.”

Coach K’s near altercation at Virginia brought on discussion about how unsafe it actually is for hundreds, if not thousands, of fans to run onto a basketball court. Without enough security officials to mediate the charge, fans can speak their mind to opposing coaches and players, everyone can be in potential danger, and accidents can lead to injuries.

One man who knows the dangers of the tradition all too well is former Bowling Green forward Germain Fitch. On January 22, 2005, the Falcons played Toledo at home, and after being down by 23 at the halfway point, they came back to win.

“I knew they were going to storm the court,” said Fitch. “So I’m running, not to celebrate, but toward our exit tunnel. And a guy just ran from the side and just clipped me and tackled me. I knew right away what it was.”

What Fitch knew was that he had torn his ACL for the third time, ultimately leading to the end of his basketball career. Fitch’s coach at the time, Dan Dakich, believed Fitch was without a doubt a pro prospect before he went down for the final time in the commotion of celebration.

While getting examined by trainers in the locker room, Fitch just hoped it wasn’t the same ligament that’d been repaired twice already. When he got the news that he had indeed torn his ACL and would have to undergo his fourth knee surgery, he simply asked when it was going to end.

Even after enduring that trying experience, Fitch is all for fans getting involved in the experience with their team. But he agrees that safety needs to be a priority.

“I enjoy watching it. When I was in high school, you see it happening and you’re like, Man, that’s going to be me, I’m going to be in the middle jumping around, you know,” explained Fitch. “My freshman year, we beat Michigan at home when they were really good, and of course our fans rushed the court. And nothing happened to me then. It was just a freak accident.”

But I would say they have to look out for the players’ and coaches’ safety because people will do what they want to do. No incident should need to happen for them to make a change.”

Whether the NCAA can enforce regulations to create controlled chaos remains to be seen. With March Madness officially beginning next Tuesday, it’s likely we won’t be seeing any regulatory measures put into place until at least next season.

For now, when the final buzzer sounds after an upset win, fans, coaches and players all just need to take a deep breath, hope for the best and embrace the rush.

After the winning its first 20 games, the best start in the school’s history, Syracuse fell to Notre Dame on Saturday, 67-58. The loss means that the only unbeaten team left in the country is Murray State.

The Orange were shorthanded for the trip to South Bend. School officials determined sophomore center Fab Melo was ineligible to play due to unspecified reasons. In his absence, Notre Dame’s tallest starter, junior forward Jack Cooley, recorded his fifth double-double of the season, notching 17 points and 10 rebounds.

The game was never really close due to a dismal performance from Syracuse’s starting five. The first unit totaled just 28 points and shot 8-for-28 from the field. With the poor shooting night for the Orange, Notre Dame’s lead grew as large as 17 points in the second half.

No Melo was not an excuse from the players for the loss after the game.

From the Indianapolis Star:

“Fab is the key to our defense. He’s an anchor. It wasn’t that, though. Our offense wasn’t going today,” Syracuse’s Scoop Jardine said following a 67-58 loss to Notre Dame on its loud and wild home floor.

“Fab only averaged six points for us. That’s not too much points,” Jardine said. “You know, we missed him truly but we needed to make more shots regardless.”

While one unbeaten fell, Murray State defeated SIU-Edwardsville to improve to 20-0. The Racers weak conference suggests an undefeated season might be on the horizon, but a yet to be scheduled Bracket Busters game in February should give them their toughest competition of the season.